The Perfect Happy Family
by Minerva Rapter
Summary: This story is a work in progress. However, I would like advice, perceptions, and suggestions to make this piece better.
1. Chapter 1

Minerva Rapter

**The Perfect Happy Family**

People in my town assume that we are this perfect happy family because my father is this big shot doctor who married a supermodel and had two beautiful, popular, and smart children. However, things are never what they seem. We might be the "Joneses" but we are definitely not this perfect happy family.

Father may be this successful doctor who's married to a former supermodel, but at night he dresses like a woman and smokes pot. Mother is a former supermodel who walked the catwalks of France, London, Italy, and New York. She also graced the cover of numerous fashion magazines. Now she cheats on her husband with various men from our neighborhood, which can be presumed to be also married. My brother, the popular football captain, is secretly a homosexual. He sneaks out to gay clubs on Friday nights to have sex with other men and also do drugs. He can never tell my parents because they will disown him and kick him out. If people knew what he was; his life would be over. I'm the normal one, I suppose. I mean I have my secrets but nothing overly-dramatic.

I know my family's secrets but they are oblivious to each other. They keep up appearances, as do I, because we can't afford to unveil our disguise. Smiles pasted on our faces like dummies we greet the neighbors and share neighborhood gossip. We buy and stay up with the latest trends. We drive expensive cars, use high-tech phones, and wear designer clothes. Nevertheless, behind closed doors each of us falls into our own darkness. My parents haven't slept in the same room since I was 9. I'm 17 now.

Come Christmas time, we will throw our annual Christmas party with all its glamour. Father will joke around with the other suburban fathers; while planning to borrow my mother's Manolo Blahniks for tonight's rendezvous. Mother would be gossiping to the other suburban housewives about the latest neighborhood scandal; while contemplating whose husband she would have sex with tonight. My brother would be making out with an unidentified man in his room and nobody would know. That is if no one yet again wants to praise him for winning the championship game. A picture will be taken of us together with our pasted dummy smiles while the other families envy my "perfect happy family." The camera man aims and we say, "Cheese!"


	2. Chapter 1 Extended

Minerva Rapter

The Perfect Happy Family:

Chapter 1

My father, the celebrity plastic surgeon and doctor, Harrison Monroe, is a doctor by day and a drag queen by night. We rarely see him because he works about a hundred hours per week; traveling to his high profile clients' parties and check-ups. He's also authorized to perform Botox injections, so you know that living here in California, the land of beautiful people- business is always booming. He's always been an ambitious man; having a doctor's degree, being a star athlete in high school and college, and marrying a former supermodel, and my mother, Bonnie Casteou.

My mother, Bonnie Casteou, is a former supermodel, who is the epitome of a rag to riches story. She was born in Brooklyn, New York. Her mother was an alcoholic and she never knew her father. Her mother would bring an abundance of strange men into their rat infested apartment and sleep with them for money. On one very cold night in December of 1979, my mother was raped by a guy her mother had been sleeping with for a while. Her mother was passed out from a reckless binge drinking night while she was getting raped. She told her mother what had happened but she didn't believe her. She accused her of stealing her man and kicked her out the house. Distraught and confused, my mother went to live with her grandmother, Natalia Casteou, in Queens, New York.

Natalia Casteou was a seamstress and owned her own bakery. She did everything she could for my mother. She even enrolled her into a modeling school in Manhattan. People always told her she should become a model and one day at the mall she was discovered by an agent when she was 15. In a few years, she became the "IT Girl." She graced the covers of numerous fashion magazines and walked the catwalks of France, New York, London, and Italy by the time she was 21. She owned the catwalk. Everyone knew her name and designers loved her. However, the pressures of staying thin, young, and beautiful got to her. She started doing drugs; mostly heroin and marijuana. When she was 23 she accidentally overdosed on cocaine at a high profile party thrown by a top designer. That's where she met my father, Harrison. He was the one that saved her life.

He took care of her during her time at the hospital. Natalia had died a few years back of cancer and she didn't even know where her mother was. At first, my father had-had a bet with his other doctor friends that he would "get in her pants." Nevertheless, after dating her for a while and getting to know her; he fell in love with her. To the contrary, my mother wasn't a big fan of relationships and love. She liked having sex with different men every night and smoking weed with her model friends. She loved her glamorous life; the clothes, the money, the parties, the jewelry, and the champagne. Despite her reluctance to settle down with a man, Harrison was not one to give up. He sent her thousands of sunflowers, which were her favorite, and did everything he could to make her fall in love with him. Eventually his charm wore her down and they dated for a while. They broke up a few times because my mother cheated on him twice but he always took her back. Finally, they got married and had their first child, my brother, James, in 1990. I then came 2 years later and was named after my father's great-grandmother, Lisabella, because she was the one who had inspired him to become a doctor. In 1995, we moved to Malibu, California because father had accepted an offer for a head surgeon position at UCLA. A few years later, he successfully established his own plastic surgery facility.

James and I had a very "entertaining" and strict lifestyle growing up. We had everything we wanted and more. We crossed the world in our own personal jet to France just because we wanted to. We rarely saw our father though because he was always at work. I guess that's why my mother did the things she did. She made sure we looked our best even when going to bed. Our hair had to be perfect, our teeth had to be blinding white, and we always wore designer clothes. We had to be perfect in everything. We had to wake up everyday at 4 in the morning to exercise because she didn't want us to get fat. Subsequently, after our exercise routine we would have to clean the house even though we had people that did that for us. Mother was anal about having the house clean. You would never think anyone lived in our house because it was spotless. In regards to school, only A's and B's were acceptable and we had to play sports or be in an extra-curricular activity. James followed in our father's footsteps and joined the football team. He became captain his sophomore year; talk about star athlete! I joined the soccer team but mother wasn't too happy about that. She wanted me to be a cheerleader and gave me so much grief about it.

"Soccer is a man's game darling" she told me. She wanted me to be primp little princess in a cheerleading outfit just looking cute. She didn't understand that I didn't want to be like her. I didn't want to be a Barbie nor a trophy to any man. I wanted to study law and become a lawyer someday. I wanted to play soccer and I did and I was good at it. After winning the championship game my freshmen year and becoming captain, she gave in only because I was a star athlete now. It was all about status with her. You had to be somebody or she would not talk to you.

Life was good until it wasn't. My parents started to fight a lot; mostly about dad working so much. They started sleeping in different rooms when I was nine. I dreaded that meeting where they would tell me and James that they would be separating; particularly because mother did not cook nor clean. No one ever wants to hear that their parents are divorcing. I mean I had friends that their parents weren't together and I saw how difficult it was for them. Shuffling back and forth from parent to parent would be a jarring transition for me. I didn't want to be one of those kids. I just couldn't handle it because I liked how things were and never wanted things to change. Somehow by some miracle that meeting never occurred. Things did get weird though. Each of us fell into our own darkness but yet we were still a family, I suppose. We had family dinner parties, we laughed together, we traveled together, and we cried together. Nonetheless, we kept up with our disguise to our community. Mother would always lie about her upbringing. She would say that she grew up with her grandmother in the upper east side of Manhattan, when talking to the other high maintenance housewives, at their weekly manicure and pedicure bash. She started cheating on my father when I was 12 years old. I caught her having sex with Mr. Dooley when I came from piano lessons one day. Mr. Dooley was a young man of about 27 years of age who married a filthy rich cougar named Veronica Constance. Mrs. Constance had inherited her millions from her five ex-husbands whom are rumored to have mysteriously died.

I had run up the stairs, to mother's bedroom to tell her that I had been granted the headline act for the talent show. When I got to her bedroom door, I heard strange noises and sounds. As I opened the door, I saw them there in her bed naked. I'm still traumatized. She screamed when she saw me and yelled at me to go to my room. After she got Mr. Dooley out the house, she came into my room and made up some lie about what they were doing.

"Honey, me and Mr. Dooley were just playing a game" she said to me. She actually thought I was stupid enough to believe that calumny. I knew what sex was and what I saw them doing was definitely sex. I couldn't believe she cheated on my father. She bribed me with money and extending my curfew to keep me quiet. Truth is, shamefully so, I did blackmail her for many years. I didn't feel bad about it because in my head she was the only that was being erroneous. That isolated incident really messed me up. Like I said before each of us fell into our own darkness when we moved here. Malibu changed us for the worse and we were oblivious to the fact that we were falling apart.

Mother promised me she wouldn't have another indiscretion but I didn't believe her. She cheated on my father many other times. She thought I didn't know that I knew what she really was doing when she said she was just going out for a bit. "Darling, I'm going out for a walk" she told me one October night. I didn't want her to go because I would be home alone. James was at football practice and dad was at work like always. Our nanny, maid, and cook were available for my bidding but I knew my mother was up to no good. "Can't you stay? I need help with my math homework." I pleaded. I really didn't need help; I had the highest grade in class. I just didn't want her to cheat on my dad again even if it was just only for this night. "You know I'm not good in math, darling" my mother responded with a petulant expression on her face.

Then she walked out the door in her gold Manolo Blahnik strappy sandals and red Dolce and Gabanna halter dress. I decided to follow her that night to confirm my suspicions. She didn't stray too far from our house; just a couple of blocks down to Mr. Mathew Quinn's house. Mathew Quinn was a successful movie producer and was also married to an oil heiress, from India named, Sane Sahib. Sahib's car wasn't there so I knew this wasn't good. As I watched my mother go up the marble steps I fought the urge to tackle her down and stop her from ringing that bell. She had a gorgeous silhouette and I envied her for that. Even though she was in her late forties; she looked like she was in her late twenties. I mean guys thought I was hot in school but when they saw my mom I was just her shadow. Mr. Quinn opened the door on the first ring and they immediately started making out. When they got inside, they really went at it like teenagers. I felt sick. I couldn't believe she would do this to my father; to our family. That's when I saw James. He had gotten out of a car and there was this man with him.

"I had a good time tonight" the man told James. "Yeah, it was great" James smiled at the man. At first I wasn't sure what I was witnessing, then to my shock James started to make out with the man. I couldn't believe my eyes! My brother was a gay. I mean I didn't see this coming. How could I have not known? Nobody could have seen this coming. He had brought girls over and I knew he wasn't a virgin. This was too much for one night and I had gotten weirdly ravenous during this escapade. I slid away from my hiding place behind the bushes from across the street and ran all the way home.


	3. Chapter 3

The Perfect Happy Family

Chapter 2

I just ran and ran as tears ran down my face. The cold wind was like having somebody smack my face repeatedly. I couldn't believe James was a gay. I mean I have nothing against homosexuals. I was mainly angry at him for not telling me this little secret of his. We told each other everything, like how he hated playing football. He only joined the team because that's the only way he could get father's attention. I was furious with mother. She was cheating on dad again and now with Mr. Quinn. If the neighbors ever got a whiff of my brother's and mother's secret it would be the end of us. What a tragedy? When I got home, Clarisse, our nanny, was waiting for me in the living room. She was so angry that I had left without telling her where I was going.

"Where you've been?!" Clarisse screamed at me.

"Out for a run…I needed some air," I said.

"I was so scared. You should have told me you were going out." Clarisse responded

"I'm sorry," I mumbled as I ran up the stairs to my bedroom. I was having a panic attack. My life would be over if the word got out that my brother was a gay and my mother was a home-wrecker. Our family would be shamed and we would lose our place and status. I couldn't let that happen. I just couldn't. I had to keep us safe; I had to keep my family's secrets safe. No one could ever know. Suddenly, I heard a noise coming from outside my window. I went to see what all the ruckus was about. As I peered out my window I saw a tall muscular figure trying to get into the basement. I poked my head out to see better and I saw that it was a woman. Well, it looked like a woman. She had long reddish brown hair and was wearing a red sequin dress and black stiletto heels. She had some huge feet, I thought. Then, I put my hand over my mouth in shock when I saw her face. It was not a she but a he; and that he was my father! He climbed into the left backside window that leads into the basement. I don't think he saw me, though. I backed into my room again and threw myself on my queen sized bed.

"Oh my God!" I screamed. My father is a drag queen! This day couldn't get any weirder. I bet those were my mother's shoes. Those must have been her new Manolo Blahniks. He was eying them when she brought them from the store last week. I thought it was weird but didn't really pay any mind to it. We all have big feet. My mother and father have the same shoe size 12. I couldn't believe what I had seen tonight. I felt like I was in a twilight zone episode or in a circus.

"Please let this be all a bad dream," I said to no one in particular.

"Hey, honey," I heard someone say and I turned to see my father standing by the door with a big smile on his face. He still had some red lipstick on his lips which he failed to completely wipe off. I wondered as I looked at him; how could a guy like him be a drag queen? He drives motorcycles for God's sake! I still couldn't believe I just saw my father dressed like a girl.

"Hi, dad," I smiled.

"What have you been up to dear?" he said.

"Nothing much; just went out for a run." I responded.

"Good girl," he smiled. "Well, I'm beat sweetie. Rough night at the clinic, you know. I'm off to bed. Have a good night, honey."

"Night, dad," I said. I heard him walk to his room and close the door. A few minutes' later mom and James came home. Mom went straight to bed and yelled goodnight to James and I. James came into my room while I was eating my pain by way of a bowl of cookie dough vanilla ice cream drowned in whipped cream and chocolate syrup.

"What's up?" James asked me. I didn't even look at him. I just kept stuffing my face with ice cream.

"Hey Lisa, What's going on?" he questioned.

"I saw you. I saw you with that man." I responded in a harsh whisper. His eyes shot wide like he had just seen a ghost. Abruptly, he drew closer to me and lowered his face close to mine.

"You can't tell anybody," he whispered. He was so scared. I felt so bad for him because if kids at school found out he was a gay his life would be over. They will beat him up or worse.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked James.

"I was going to tell you but I needed to be sure…." His voice wandered off. He then told me how he had been dating the man I saw him with for five years now and that he thought he was the one.

"Five years, James, Five?!" I screamed. "Where did you meet this guy?" I asked. James went on to tell me that they met at this gay club downtown when he was 14 years old.

"His name is Mark," James said to me. "I love him, Lisa. Dad can never know about this. He will freak especially when he finds out that I'm dating his protégé."

"Mark!" I screamed. "You're dating Mark Beyer?!" Mark Beyer was our father's main man at the clinic. Mark was father's assistant. There would be blood if dad found at Mark was sticking it to his son. James and I didn't speak for a while. We just sat there on my bed. Then out of nowhere James grabbed my arm and said, "We're getting married, Lisa." I fainted.


	4. Chapter 4

PHF: Chapter 3

I came around a while later to James splashing my face with water from a spritz bottle. My eyes were blurry and I felt like I had a really bad hangover. "Why does my head hurt so much?" I asked wearily. Somehow I had blocked all sounds because James had been screaming at me the whole time.

"Are you okay?!" James yelled at me.

"Whoa! Not so loud, dude" I responded feverishly.

"I slapped your face a couple of times but you wouldn't wake up. I was about to call mom and dad…." James' voiced trailed off. So that's why my head hurt so much, I thought to myself. Why hadn't I woken up? A slap to the face would surely wake me up but James said he hit me a couple of times.

"So, I didn't move or anything when you hit me?" I asked James

"No, it was weird. You lay there like a dead body." He responded with a concern look on his face.

"Well I'm not dead, see!" I joked even though I was actually perplexed by what had happened.

"Did you eat?" James asked.

"Uh, yeah" I lied.

"So what were we talking about before I fainted?" I asked.

"I told you I was planning to marry Mark" James said with a smile on his face.

"You can't marry him. You can't." I hissed.

"I thought you'd be happy for me! I guess I was wrong." James murmured.

"You really think this is a good plan? You know what they'll do to you at school?" I screamed. Suddenly, my bedroom door drew open and mother rushed in with a scowl.

"Shut up and go to bed!" she shushed at us. She then turned and walked back to her bedroom. We waited until we heard her close her door. James got up and headed towards the door also. I grabbed his arm.

"You can't tell anybody about this. We'll be ruined. You'll be ruined." I whispered in a harsh tone. He just looked at me then shook away from my grip. I watched him as he walked to his bedroom to the other side of the house. No one could ever know that my brother is a gay, I thought. We would be the laugh of the town if anyone ever found out. Oh, the tragedy. So there and then I made it my mission to be my family's keeper. My mother is an adultery, my father is a cross dresser, and my brother is a gay. It was all too much for one day and I threw myself on my bed without changing into my pajamas. I hold my family's secrets like the government keeps theirs. It was two in the morning by the time I feel asleep but I didn't sleep for long. I had to wake up early for school three hours later. It was a typical Monroe morning. Father was already at the clinic, mother was exercising downstairs in our top of the art gym, and Clarisse had already made breakfast for me and James.

"James is not going to school today" Clarisse said as I walked into the kitchen.

'What'd you mean?" I responded. "He was fine last night."

"Well he told me he won't be going to school today" Clarisse retorted in an annoyed tone. I retracted back up our marble steps as fast as I could to James' room. I didn't even knock-I just burst in.

"Yeah, see you later" I caught him saying to his phone before he hung up.

"Knock much?!" he yelled at me.

"No, you know me. Miss no manners" I mocked. "Why aren't you going to school?"

"I'm sick." He said with a facetious cough.

"Loser" I said as I walked out of his bedroom and made my way back to the kitchen. When I got back to the kitchen Clarisse was jumping up and down with giddiness.

"I got good gossip!" she yelled.

"What?" I ran to her with intrigue.

"Miss Sahib found panties not hers under her bed. She's angry with Mr. Quinn!" Clarisse gushed. My heart stopped. Those were mother's panties.

"So, is she kicking him out?" I asked Clarisse.

"I heard she wants to know the woman's name so she could kill her" Clarisse exclaimed. Clarisse was all about the drama and neighborhood gossip. She never revealed her sources; she was smart like that. A few seconds later the door bell rang. I went to get the door but stopped in my tracks in horror when I saw that it was Sane Sahib. Did she know? It would be an insult to injury in Sahib's case because she was one of mother's closest friends. I regained my posture and attained all the courage I could muster as I opened the door.

"Hi" I said with a shaky voice. Sane just looked at me through her dark brown eyes. She was crying. Her usually flawless golden brown hair lay messy around her shoulders. She was a complete mess in her ripped blue jeans and stained white t-shirt.

"Is your mother home?" she sobbed.

"Uh…." I murmured but was interrupted by mother.

"Hey, oh honey, come in" mother gestured at Sane to come in. "What's wrong?"

"Quinn cheated on me and won't tell me with whom!" Sane screamed.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that" mother said to Sane while comforting her. I looked at mother in disgust.

"Don't you need to be off to school?" mother asked me.

"Yes, of course!" I replied and ran to get my book bag. I couldn't believe what I had just witnessed. My mother was sleeping with her friend's husband and didn't show any remorse. How could she be so vile? I wondered. As I walked out my house I saw Mr. Quinn heading towards me.

"You have some nerve" I hissed at him.

"Me. What about your mother?" he asked seeming appalled. "What about your father?"

"What you mean my father?" I asked.

"I know your father's secret" Quinn smirked at me. "Your father is a cross-dresser" he laughed.

"You wouldn't dare" I threatened.

"Or would I? Don't test me child." He retorted. I then knew I had to get rid of him.

"What do you want?" I asked

"Let's just say you keep your secret and I'll keep mine" he responded. There was no way I was going to trust him with such a huge secret. I had to get rid of him one way or another; even if it meant taking drastic measures. He had to disappear. He had to die because no one is suppose to know but me. No one can ever find out the truth about my family.


	5. Chapter 5

PHF: Chapter 4

How did Quinn know about father? I wondered as I drove out the driver in my new white BMW. I had gotten it for my 16th birthday. My mind was consumed with so much chaos that I could barely concentrate on the road. I felt like I was going to get a heart attack. The drive to school was seemingly frenzied. I almost ran over an elderly woman while contemplating how I was going to get rid of Quinn. She gave me a death stare when I stopped just a few inches from her; I didn't really care though. Nothing else mattered to me at that moment. When I arrived at school I begrudgingly got out the car and headed to my homeroom. The St. Bernard High School looked mighty with its Greek inspired architecture and beautiful green lawn. It was indeed quite beautiful. As I walked up the marble steps and through the huge expensive wood doors into the empty cathedral hallway, I completely disregarded the fact that I was extremely late for my first class.

I hurried up the white marble stairs in my Balenciaga heels to my Economics class. Professor Michaels was writing equations on the board when I opened the door. Everyone looked my way as I slid into my desk.

"Glad you could make it, Bertha" Michaels exclaimed in a sarcastic tone. He was not only my economics professor but also my godfather. Bertha was my middle name which was given to me in my great grandmother's honor. I hated that name. He knew I hated it and so he tormented me with it. I gave him a fake smile and grabbed my book out my Louis Vuitton messenger bag.

"Yes, I'm glad you're here" someone gushed behind me. I turned around to smile at Patrick. We had assigned seats so it could only be him. Patrick has been my best friend since kindergarten and he's also Michaels son. I loved Patrick's smile; he had this crooked nerdy smile but yet it was still so intriguing to me. Mother always teased us that we would get married but I could never see him as a love interest because I've know him since we were in diapers.

"Oh, you're such a doll" I responded playfully. Patrick laughed then motioned for me to pay attention because his father was glaring at us. I turned around without looking at Michaels direction and just stared at my book with a sheepish smile on my face. I couldn't concentrate on anything throughout the day. The day seemed like a blur and I became frustrated over stupid things. All I could think about was upholding my family's name and reputation. Reputation is everything in my world and threats are not taken lightly. You would think I was this rich weak little stupid girl but yet again you would be wrong. I'm in the top five percent of my class, captain of the soccer team, and I volunteer at a children's hospital. I do it all and I have it all.

When I got back home, mother was exercising again but this time she decided to do yoga in the kitchen.

"Mom, did you even eat?" I asked her.

"Never" she responded breathlessly. I rolled my eyes in disapproval. She never ate anything. I mean, when she felt like she was going to pass out she would grab a small piece of cheddar cheese but that was it. Mother still looked like a model and her face was flawless.

"How was school?" mother asked me.

"Great" I lied as I headed up to my room. My mind was racing with thoughts of what had happened the last few days. I didn't want to think about it because I was driving myself insane. How could a person feel and think so much? I thought I would explode. I shouldn't have all this stress, hence the fact that I'm only 17 and should only be worried about getting top grades at school. When I entered my room I threw myself upon my bed covered with the finest 800 thread count Egyptian sheets; only the best for me. I contemplated doing some homework but was too reluctant.

A few hours later, I felt hands shaking me. Apparently, I had fallen asleep which was weird because I never took naps. It was James who was franticly trying to get me up. He looked worried.

"What is your problem?" I asked hastily.

"Mum is passed out on the kitchen floor," James screamed. I jumped out my bed and ran out with James right behind me. When I got to the kitchen I saw our mom sprawled on the floor. She looked so pale.

"Call 911!" I yelled at James. We stayed by her side while we waited for the ambulance. Of course, the whole community would be outside our house because everyone wants to know everything about everyone here in Sevres Avenue. When we got to the hospital all James and I could do we would do was wait anxiously for any news of mother. We tried calling our father but he wasn't picking up his phone. The doctor finally came out a few moments later.

"Hi, I'm Dr. Daniels. You must be Mrs. Monroe's children, correct?"

"Yes", James and I responded in unison.

"How's are mother? What happened?" I asked.

"Your mother has been starving herself and excessively exercising" Dr. Daniels responded. "In her condition, she should be taking better care of herself."

"What do you mean in her condition?" James asked.

"Don't you know? Your mother is pregnant." Dr. Daniels answered. I suddenly felt dizzy. Our parents slept in different rooms and haven't had sex in seven years. So, that baby belonged to only one person, Quinn. My knees started to shake and then everything went black. The last thing I heard was James screaming my name.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 5.

"Lisa" I heard a distant low voice say. I felt so groggy and my head was pounding. As I opened my eyes, everything seemed so blurry at first and for a moment I wasn't sure where I was. Then I remembered everything that occurred before I passed out.

"Are you ok?" someone asked as I turned to the direction of the voice. Standing next to my hospital bed was a young nurse with a real bad blonde hair dye. I mean if you're going to go blonde, get it done right! She was alright looking though but those nurse clothes did her body no justice. I could barely make out her name as I struggled to read her name tag. After my eyes adjusted to the poor dim lights, I was finally able to read her name. Her name tag read, Jasmine Connor.

"I feel like I have a hangover," I murmured.

"You took a nasty fall," Jasmine said.

"No, really, you think?" I retorted.

"Do you want to see your brother? Your mother is still in intensive care." Jasmine smiled.

"I can't handle people right now. I need to rest," I muttered.

"Ok, is there anything you need?" Jasmine asked.

"No, thank you. You may go." I replied. She smiled at me and I watched her leave my room. Essentially, all I wanted to do was lose myself in oblivion. If only I could slip away but my dreams are prone to project black and white images of the disaster that is my life. No amount of money can fix the troubles of a dysfunctional family; it is like living in a strange world. Longing to catch some sleep but with no avail because father abruptly burst into the room.

"Oh honey!"

"How's my princess?" Father uttered.

"A bloody mess" I smiled.

"Are you ok? How's your mother?" he asked.

"Yes, I'm fine but mother is still in intensive care," I replied.

"What happened?" Father inquired.

"She passed out due to excessive exercising with an empty stomach," I quickly replied. It wasn't the whole truth but I couldn't actually tell him everything. It wasn't my place to say. Mother would have to tell him but it was highly doubtful that she would. She would get an abortion behind his back rather than own up to her indiscretions. Mother was never one to take responsibility for her actions; she always took the easy way out.

"So how is the food here? You want me to bring you something?" Father suddenly asked interrupting my thoughts.

"I haven't eaten anything, so I wouldn't know."

"Don't really feel like eating anything, though," I replied.

"Ok, princess," Father smiled. He stayed a few hours with me then went to check on mom. James came in to check on me and told me mother was awake now. Dr. Daniels gave me a quick check-up around 7:30 then said it was ok for me to go home, if I wished to go. There was no way I was going home until I found out who was the father of the baby my mother was carrying. I slipped into her room and saw father sitting besides her holding her hand. They were looking into each other's eyes so lovingly. What great actors are my parents? I thought to myself. I made up some wild request for California rolls from Yung Shi Delicacy, which is the most luxurious sushi restaurant in Malibu. There is a two year waiting list to even get a table there but father is friends with the owner so he gets access anytime. Of course, father would jump and go just to please his princess. After he left, I gave mother a stern look.

"It's not Quinn's," mother said in a low voice.

"Whose is it, then," I demanded.

"Mark Beyer's" mother answered.

"What?" someone screamed and we both turned to see James by the door. Oh, no, I thought. Mom, how could you?

"You slept with my boyfriend!" James stormed in yelling at mom.

"Your boyfriend?" mother screamed. I saw the color drain from James face as he realized what he had just done. There was no coming back from this; what was done was done.

"I hate you!" James cried out as he turned and ran crying out the door, while I sank to my knees as I saw my perfect life crumble.


End file.
